The role of social support in disarming the effects of racial microaggressions
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Department/School
Communication, Media and Theatre Arts
Publication Title
Communication Research
Abstract
Racial microaggressions are a significant source of stress for people of color. This study identified two support message features for disarming the effects of racial microaggressions and tested reasons for their effectiveness. In a between-groups design, Black/African Americans (n = 387), and Asian Americans (n = 374) evaluated a support message crafted by a friend in response to one of six racial microaggressions. Participants perceived high person-centered, racial identity-affirming, and combination support messages as more effective and collective self-esteem enhancing than low quality message versions. Person-centered emotional support and combination messages were partly related to enhanced collective self-esteem through cognitive reappraisal and reattribution, while racial identity affirmation message quality was partly related to enhanced collective self-esteem through reattribution. Conditional process analyses determined that indirect effects were not contingent on participants’ race. Practical and theoretical implications of studying support messages to address racial microaggressions are discussed.
Link to Published Version
Recommended Citation
Manohar, U., & Kline, S. L. (2024). The role of social support in disarming the effects of racial microaggressions. Communication Research, 51(5), 580–603. https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502231151740
Comments
U. Manohar is a faculty member in EMU's School of Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts.